A scene I have been trying to find the right angle to write, is the sort of “Play with in a Play” scenario. Where you set up a story or myth with in an exsisting narrative. A good example of this is the campfire story. Where you essentially tell another story with in a scene of the story your already telling. It’s easy in those scenes to make a smaller carbon copy of the story your already telling. The purpose especially in horror is normaly foreshadowing.

When telling heartfelt stories it’s easy to get lost in cliche land and take a ride on the tropsville express. This isn’t always a bad thing. sometimes when it comes to timeless classics less is more. And often it’s already been said well, and borrowing from that can be your best bet. You’ll always be walking that line though, between originality and relatability. Original materials often takes time to really be absorbed into the mind of the audience and acepted. Where as tried, and trusted, often hits home more quickly and easly.

Int – night
Child’s bedroom typical sports-centric themes with some variety placed in here and there. shot next to a window with the night sky streaming in starlight.
Mother sits next to the boys bed kneeling on the floor as the child lays tucked into to bed beside her.

Mother
Son
Father

Son: I think of all the stars in my window that blue one on top is my favorite
Mother: Delta784by, I just call it the Christmas star
Son: You know all thier names
Mother: Not all, but that ones special to me
Son: How come?
Mother: I’ll tell you, but you have to close your eyes and keep them closed
Son: Ok
Mother: ok now close them…keep them closed….no peekies

The young boy squints his eyes closed for a moment then relaxes them when he feels his mom is convinced he will obey

Mother: When your father and I were younger there was a tree on top of a hill where we used to hang out
Son: How everybody has a tree on a hill?
Mother: Ok well it wasn’t as much a tree as a stump and now quite as much a hill as an inclined backyard at his cousins. Look who’s telling the story?
Son: Sorry
Mother: now close those eyes, where was I?
SOn: Stump and a cousins house
Mother: Right, now keep those eyes closed young man. When he and I were on that “Hill” and the sky would get dark, we’d look up and tell each other all the things we wanted when we were grown ups
Son: Thats now
Mother: It sure is now, eyes closed and sit back down. One evening we decided to make a promise. We’d get married and stay together forevers. When I asked him how he planned on keeping his promise, he pointed to that star and said as long as the star burns I’ll love you. When we finished high school and it was time to go to college, he went to Ohio State, and I went to Washington State.
Son: Thats far
Mother: Yes it is, more then 1900 miles, eyes
Son: Sorry
Mother: While we were away we each lost contact and we saw other people, as most young people at that age tend to do. I was actuall going to marry a man by the name of, oh what was it again…Larry?
Son: The couch guy?
Mother: no, lay back down. Not the furniture salesman in town
Son: what happened?
Mother: I came back to town for the holidays one semester before I finished my degree and your father was home from deployment over seas. He finished his degree already and joined the military.
Son: Yeah he was on a big ship
Mother: Yes he was. Well when I saw him there in his uniform, I remembered that he was the only one I really wanted to be with. After a few days He was deployed again and I went back to school and broke up with Larry.
Son: Then you and Daddy got together
Mother: Not quite it was actually not for another two years that we finally met up again. I was working at Smart Foods, and he was still looking for a job. He moved in with me and thats when we decided to get married and start a family. You were born the next year, then five years before your Dad passed away
Son: He had Canser
Mother: Thats right, he did. About five years before that his brother died over seas. He was on patrol in a region that was supposed to be pretty safe. He was killed when a building next to him exploded
Son: Terrorist suicide bomber
Mother: close, it was the people who were making the bombs. One of the men did something wrong and it set off the explosives and the explosion killed a lot of people inlcuding your Uncle John. Thats when your father volenteered for another tour. He wanted to make sure that the peace your Uncle died for wasn’t in vein.
Son: Daddy was a hero
Mother: He sure was. I was so worried about him not comming back like his brother. He promised he would no matter what. I told him he couldn’t make that sort of promise. He just pointed up at the sky, and said “I told you, till the star burns out. I’m here, and I’ll always be with you”.
Son: Don’t cry mommy
Mother: It’s okay son ther’re tears of happiness. While your Father was away, he sent a package. It had a map of the night sky in it. Our star was circled, and he had bought the right to name it. He called it the “Always” star. When he finally got back he made Mommy a necklace with the star and some of the others near it for a Christmas gift.
Son: Daddy won’t be here this year, he lied
Mother: Of course he didn’t. Daddy will always be here, you just have to learn to feel his pressence and he will never be away again. You’ll have him with you always. Now go to sleep son or Santa will forget to stop at this house tonight